


The Adventures of Off-Brand Ladybug and Chat Noir

by Mikauzoran



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Stops Being in Denial, Adrinette, Dorks in Love, Emotional Support, F/M, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Not-Date Date, Pining, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Reveal, Romance, Spending Time Together, Supporting Marinette, Supportive Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Talking, accidental reveal, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25210636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/pseuds/Mikauzoran
Summary: Adrien notices that Marinette has seemed really stressed lately, so, like a good friend, he takes her out on a not-date for coffee. They talk about all manner of things silly and serious, and secret identities do not emerge intact. Confessions and kisses ensue.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 97
Kudos: 568





	The Adventures of Off-Brand Ladybug and Chat Noir

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! It's so lovely to see all of your smiling faces. You know...theoretically. ^.^ I have a very good imagination. Anyway! I'm Mikau, for those of you who don't know me. Those of you who do are already used to my nonsense. ^w^ Thank you very much for joining me. I hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> Come follow me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/).

Marinette let out a two-ton sigh as she finished packing up her bookbag and closed her locker door.

“Hey, Marinette,” Adrien (who had somehow managed to sneak up on her for the one hundred and twenty-third time) greeted.

Predictably, Marinette jumped, giving a little yelp.

Adrien put up his hands to show he meant no harm. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”

Marinette covered her face with both hands and forced herself to take a slow breath. “Fine,” she got out in a high, pinched voice.

Why did she always have to embarrass herself in front of this boy?

“Sorry,” Adrien repeated, guilt obvious in his tone.

Marinette took another deep breath and put on her game face, lowering her hands and turning to smile at him. “It’s okay, Adrien. It’s not your fault. I mean, you know how jumpy I am.”

“Still…” he mumbled, not convinced.

“So, what’s up?” She doubled down on her falsely cheerful front, hoping he’d buy it. She didn’t really have the energy to keep it up for very long, so she silently hoped he’d make it quick. “Did you need something, or were you just saying hi?”

“Actually…I know you’re really busy with commissions and helping your parents and school and everything, but I was wondering if you’d want to swing by a café with me?”

Marinette blinked, forgetting her mask of cheerfulness in her surprise. “A café?”

He nodded, smiling hopefully. “Yeah. I mean…it would be nice to hang out. You’ve seemed really stressed lately, and you don’t look like you’re sleeping well, so I figured it might be good for you to take a break…maybe get some coffee? My treat.”

He’d noticed? She’d been trying so hard to hide it so no one would worry. She guessed that the strain of being the Guardian, having to deal with everything alone, without guidance or support, always feeling like the safety of Paris depended solely on her not messing up, was really getting to her.

But that was sweet that he’d noticed something wasn’t right with her. She’d have to reinforce her cheerful act going forward so that no one would be able to tell, but it was really, really nice of him to pick up on the fact that she was up to her eyeballs in stress and not sleeping more than two or three hours a night in order to fit everything she needed to do in.

No one else had noticed. No one else had said anything. Not Alya, not Nino, not Mylène, not Rose… They were all caught up in Lila’s spell, too busy fawning over the liar to pay attention to the dark bags quickly forming under Marinette’s eyes, too busy to notice how Marinette wasn’t eating lunch with everyone anymore.

But Adrien had noticed. Adrien cared.

Her traitorous heart gave a flutter.

She’d been trying so hard to get rid of her feelings for Adrien now that he and Kagami were dating, but…she was still crazy about him, and when he smiled or praised her work, she couldn’t fight her heart’s automatic response.

She knew she shouldn’t go to a café alone with him. It would only encourage feelings that she needed to stamp out, but…he was right. She could use a break and a coffee and a friend.

“When did you want to go?” she heard herself ask before she could talk herself out of it.

The luminosity of his face increased by a factor of ten as he smiled. “Right now? Sorry. Is that too sudden?”

“No, no,” she assured, waving her hands and nearly hitting Kim with them as he passed to his locker. “Now is fine, but…don’t you have fencing? It’s Friday.”

Adrien grimaced. “Yeah, but I’ll just skip. It’s no big deal.”

“But…” Her mind was whirling, getting ahead of her. “Don’t you see Kagami at fencing?”

The guilty expression sank deeper into his features. “Yes, but…I’ll just text her and let her know…I don’t know. That something came up. Spending time with you is more important today.”

Her heart edited out the “today” part and started spinning fantasies of Adrien more interested in spending time with Marinette than Kagami.

Marinette pursed her lips, not feeling right about the situation. Kagami was her friend, and Marinette didn’t want to go behind her back like that. There was nothing wrong with Adrien and Marinette going to a café as friends, so wasn’t it better just to be upfront about it rather than risk Kagami finding out later and thinking the worst?

“Why don’t we invite Kagami to come with us?” her mouth suggested before she’d really thought it through.

Adrien’s eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth dropped open slightly. He inclined his head to the side. “Maybe next time. Today, I kind of wanted to go just the two of us so that we could talk…if that’s okay?”

Marinette only hesitated a beat. “…Okay. Where to?”

His face lit up again, making her heart dance.

They ended up at a bistro just two blocks from the school and one block past Tom and Sabine’s called Café Panis. It was just across the river from Notre Dame with a lovely view.

“Unfortunately, due to its location, there are a lot of tourists,” Adrien explained as they waited for the server to come seat them. “But that’s kind of a good thing because tourists don’t always recognize me.” He raised his sunglasses for just a second to smile at her with his eyes before dropping them back into place.

Marinette thought it was a terrible disguise that wouldn’t fool anyone, but she wasn’t going to say anything because Adrien looked really cool in sunglasses.

On the inside, the restaurant wasn’t yet busy, but the place was packed with tables taking up almost every available space. Marinette and Adrien were given a table by the window and left with their menus to decide.

“Get whatever you want,” he urged as he flipped through the selections.

Marinette twisted the end of her pigtail around her finger as she contemplated the variety of choices. “Maybe just a double espresso for me,” she hummed.

“At least get a crêpe,” he haggled. “Otherwise, I’m going to look like such a pig.”

She gave a snort of laughter. “Why? What are you getting?”

“A cheese plate, their Nutella tiramisu, and either a chocolat viennois or a green tea with mint and bergamot. I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll get both.” He looked up from the menu and grinned somewhat puckishly at her.

“Do they not feed you at home?” she chuckled, relaxing enough to tease him just like she would have done with any other, non-Adrien-Agreste person.

Adrien stuck out his bottom lip and gave her the most convincing pout Marinette had seen since Chat Noir. “No. No, they don’t. I’m starving, Marinette.” He put his arm up to his forehead and sighed, pretending to faint.

“When did you get to be such a drama queen?” she wondered, giggling softly.

Adrien shrugged. “I was born this way, and I’m afraid it’s terminal.”

Marinette opened her mouth to return the volley, but, just then, their server returned to check on them.

Adrien got the cheese plate, tiramisu, hot chocolate, and the tea and then looked expectantly at Marinette.

Dutifully, she ordered a double expresso and a crêpe au sucre just for show to make him happy.

He smiled in gratitude, and that had her smiling too.

“So…” he started up the conversation again as soon as the waiter left them. “…No offence, but…are you okay?”

Marinette gave a start. “Am I…okay?” she repeated as if she understood the words individually but not grouped together in that context. She figured playing dumb was her best bet.

“Yeah,” Adrien replied awkwardly, frowning as he clarified his question. “How are things going? Is everything going all right?”

“Oh!” Marinette laughed, fortifying her chipper front. “Sorry. Yes. Everything’s great. I’ve just been super busy with everything lately, so I haven’t been getting much sleep.”

Adrien’s frown did not resolve itself, signaling that he wasn’t buying her act. “Okay. Well…I’m glad to hear that everything’s going well. I…”

He took off the sunglasses, setting them aside so that he could meet her gaze with his own.

“I’ve just been really worried about you,” he sighed. “I learned from Nino that you’re not having lunch with our classmates lately, and you haven’t been hanging out with everyone whenever they’ve been getting together.”

“I started having lunch at home with my parents,” Marinette explained, holding onto her sunny smile for her life. “They’ve been more protective of me lately, so I’ve been coming home to eat with them. As for afterschool activities, I’ve just been too busy the past few months. Nothing’s wrong, but thank you for asking, Adrien. It’s really sweet of you to be worried, but please don’t,” she lied through her teeth, keeping her perky smile in place.

How could she tell him about the dread she felt whenever she was around the others? How could she explain this vague terror of Lila appearing at any moment to humiliate Marinette and make everyone else think ill of her? He’d tell her that she was being ridiculous, and that was the last thing she needed at the moment from the last person she needed thinking she was ridiculous.

The lines in Adrien’s brow deepened into trenches, unsatisfied with her answer.

“Marinette…” He bit his lip and lowered his voice despite the relative emptiness of the restaurant. “Look. I’ve faked smiles and pretended to be okay when I wasn’t often enough that I know what that looks like.”

Her jaw dropped open slightly at his unexpected confession, and her eyes went wide.

“Now,” he sighed, carding a hand through his hair and effectively ruining his signature hairstyle. “You don’t have to confide in me. I’m not going to force you to tell me what’s wrong, but could you drop the act a bit? I know how exhausting that is to keep up, so… You don’t have to talk about it, but you don’t have to pretend around me either, okay?”

Marinette’s face fell, and she averted her eyes, picking up her glass of water and mumbling into it. “I guess I’m not as good of an actor as I gave myself credit for.”

“Don’t worry,” he comforted. “I think you’ve got everyone else fooled. It’s just that I have a practiced eye.”

“Ah,” she breathed. “So…you pretend to be fine when you’re not too?”

He nodded, a conspiratorial smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “We should form a super exclusive club and come up with a secret handshake and a secret password to get into our secret base.”

That got a laugh out of her, bright and warm.

He grinned wider, feeling triumph swell in his chest.

“Okay,” she played along. “We’d have to come up with a name for our club too.”

“How about…” He hummed in thought while he chewed pensively on the inside of his cheek. “The Troubled Twosome?”

Marinette scrunched up her nose. “Too emo.”

“…The Adrienettes?” he tried again.

She shook her head, but an amused smile still played on her lips. “Sounds like a group of backup singers. The kind who wear miniskirts,” she snickered, raising her water glass to her lips once more.

“I could rock a miniskirt,” Adrien offered.

Marinette nearly choked.

Adrien winced, using his napkin to mop up the water that had sloshed all over the table. “Sorry.”

Once she had stopped spluttering, he added, “I forget sometimes the effect my legs have on women.”

Marinette made a high-pitched sound of distress that had the handful of other restaurant patrons giving them funny looks.

Adrien sighed. “Sorry. I’ll stop trying to be cute now.”

Strangely enough, that got an honest laugh out of her.

He cocked an eyebrow in pleasant surprise.

She shook her head. “Sorry. It’s just…I don’t think ‘being cute’ is something you can turn off. You’re kind of perpetually cute.”

Her face felt like volcanic ash as she smiled shyly, but her gamble soon paid off when he grinned at her and nodded, raising his own water glass to her.

“Touché,” he granted.

Her smile grew as she averted her eyes, focusing on the table instead of his eyes-lips-hair-ears-teeth-nose-beauty.

She couldn’t believe she was actually having a fairly normal, moderately successful conversation with Adrien Agreste.

“Back to the name of our super exclusive club,” Adrien announced. “How about ‘Off-Brand Ladybug and Chat Noir’?”

Marinette jumped, all levity leaving her. “Wh-What?!” she squawked. “Why? Why would you suggest that?”

Adrien spent a few seconds blinking, wondering why Marinette was having such an…odd, distressed reaction to his suggestion. Did she have a problem with Ladybug? No. Weren’t Ladybug and Marinette friends or acquaintances or something? Could it be Chat Noir? No. Marinette was a huge Chat Noir supporter. Adrien was coming up with nothing.

“I just figured…” He bit his lip, cheeks coloring lightly. “I don’t know if you remember, but a couple months back I said something like how you were an everyday Ladybug?”

“Oh,” Marinette breathed, her own cheeks reddening to match his. “I remember.”

“Well, if you’re Ladybug, then I thought I could be your sidekick, so…” He shrugged. “‘Off-Brand Ladybug and Chat Noir’.”

Marinette’s expression hardened. “There’s only one problem—Chat Noir is not Ladybug’s sidekick. They’re _partners_ ,” she growled in annoyance, reminding him an awful lot of his Lady when she heard about someone badmouthing Chat Noir.

Marinette sounded like she corrected people about Chat Noir’s status a lot, and that fact had Adrien’s stomach doing flips. Marinette really was an incredible young woman.

“Sorry,” he quickly apologized with a sheepish smile. “Sorry. You’re right. _Chat Noir_ isn’t a sidekick, but I was thinking that, with you and me, I would definitely be the sidekick in our relationship.”

Marinette’s expression rapidly transformed again, going from indignant to bashful in a matter of seconds. “O-Oh. Is that what you meant? But…I don’t think you’d be a sidekick either, Adrien. You were great that time with the Snake—”

Marinette’s tongue went limp in her mouth as she realized what she’d been about to say and how that could reveal her identity. Judging from Adrien’s wide-eyed stare, she might already be too late.

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off, exclaiming, “Snake akuma! The other day. The Medusa akuma. I saw you helping everyone evacuate. You do that a lot, you know, make sure other people are safe before getting to safety yourself. I think that’s really heroic, so…so I don’t think you’d just be a sidekick, Adrien.”

“O-Oh,” he sighed, looking down at the tabletop and studying the grain of the wood.

A heavy cloud of disappointment descended upon him. He’d wanted her to say “Snake Miraculous”. Ladybug and Luka were the only ones who knew about Adrien’s misadventures with the Snake Miraculous. If Marinette knew, that would have to mean…but there was no use getting his hopes up _again_.

Suddenly his mind kicked into gear, jumping back into the here and now, and he smiled like he meant it. “Thank you. I’m glad you think I’m good enough to be your partner, My Lady.”

Marinette jumped, her facial features doing a funny dance of horror before settling into a nervous smile. “Y-Your Lady?”

“Yeah,” Adrien replied tentatively, feeling off kilter, unsure of what to make of Marinette’s reaction. “You know. Like how Chat Noir calls Ladybug?”

“Right!” Marinette laughed stiltedly, a little too loud. “But maybe we should have different nicknames for each other. You know. So no one gets the wrong idea and starts thinking that we actually _are_ Ladybug and Chat Noir.” She forced another laugh as if she were trying to convince him. “Because that would be ridiculous.”

More and more Adrien suspected that it was not quite so ridiculous after all.

His heartbeat sped up at the thought.

“Right,” he agreed, chuckling a little, trying to put her rattled nerves at ease.

“So…I mean…you could call me ‘Ladybird’, if you wanted,” she offered.

“Perfect. And I’ll be…Chat Blanc?” Adrien suggested.

Marinette’s skin went as pale as parchment as horror seized her.

Adrien sensed that there was a story behind her reaction but that Marinette would not be likely to share if asked.

He shrugged it off and amended, “Or…how about…Chat Nuit? Do either of those sound good?” He smiled pleasantly, pretending that he couldn’t detect that anything was wrong.

“Chat Nuit,” Marinette happily seized upon the second option, a look of relief washing over her face as her complexion returned to normal.

She picked up her water glass. “Here’s to the forthcoming adventures of Ladybird and Chat Nuit.”

“Hear, hear,” Adrien agreed, clinking his glass carefully against hers to avoid further spills.

As they drank the toast, their server came over with their food and beverages.

Adrien dug straight into the Nutella tiramisu while simultaneously palming a chunk of cheese in his right hand and slipping it under the table into his bag where Plagg was eagerly waiting.

It was difficult not to shudder as Plagg slurped one of Adrien’s fingers into his gaping maw along with the Brie.

Adrien opened his mouth to resume conversation but stopped when he noticed Marinette slipping the little cookie that had come with her double espresso under the table and presumably into her purse.

Adrien’s heart thrummed again as he remembered Plagg offhandedly mentioning the fact that Tikki liked sweets. He had to hold in a trill of glee as he thought about them both surreptitiously feeding their kwamis.

…Or maybe Marinette was just storing the cookie in her purse for later, and Adrien was being a wishful idiot, willing the two girls to be one when they weren’t.

He wasn’t being fair to Marinette.

Marinette, one of his best friends who was very clearly super stressed out and alone right now. Marinette whom he was supposed to be cheering up.

_“Get out of the fantasies in your head and be there for her like a_ good _friend already, Agreste,”_ he mentally admonished.

“So…how are things with Luka?” he inquired conversationally, getting back to his mission of finding out what was wrong and making it better for Marinette.

Marinette grimaced into her espresso cup. “Um…things are…okay.”

She sounded like she hadn’t studied for the test and was unsure of the answer.

Adrien frowned, wondering what the problem was. Luka was an amazing guy, and he adored Marinette.

“Just okay?” Adrien paused with a bite of tiramisu halfway to his mouth. “I’m sorry to hear that. You two look like you get along really well, so I thought…”

He wasn’t really sure where he was going with that statement. He _thought_ that Luka and Marinette were made for one another, the power couple of the decade.

He shoved the tiramisu into his mouth.

She sighed. “Luka…Luka is great, and we do get along really well. He’s super supportive and a good listener and encouraging and understanding and patient and…” She sighed again, guilt evident on her face as she took another sip of her espresso.

“…I really wish I could feel the way for him that he feels for me. I _do_ like him. Very much,” she clarified, finally looking up at Adrien. “It’s just…” She swallowed hard, gathering her courage. A red stain spread across her cheeks as she forced herself to finally admit, “There’s someone else I like.”

Adrien’s eyes widened as a soft, “oh” escaped his lips.

She smiled miserably, nodding. “Yeah. I’m super hung up on this other guy, so…” She shrugged in a helpless fashion. “I’m trying really hard to get over him because he has feelings for someone else, and I know my dumb crush is hopeless, but…”

Her eyes dropped into her espresso as she blew out a defeated breath, wrapping both hands around her cup. “It’s really hard to let go and move on.”

Adrien bit his lip, racking his brain for some clue as to who this other guy could be. As far as he’d seen, the only guy Marinette gave off any kind of “crush vibe” with was Luka, so—

Out of nowhere, he was hit with a memory: Marinette’s balcony, a confession, an awkward meal, an akuma.

His heart lurched as hope came flooding in.

“It’s not…Chat Noir, is it?” he cautiously ventured.

If Marinette had feelings for _him_ —

“—What?!” she squawked, eyes as wide as his teacup. “No!” she insisted.

He felt his heart sink in disappointment.

Marinette grimaced, remembering the soft look in her partner’s eyes whenever he gazed at her, the way she felt like a part of _her_ had died when he sacrificed himself for her during an akuma fight, the way he encouraged her, always believed in her, sometimes literally held her together when she felt like she was breaking apart.

It would be a lie to say that Chat Noir had nothing to do with why she couldn’t give her heart to Luka.

She groaned. “Okay. Fine. _Yes_.”

Adrien instantly perked up again.

“Sort of,” Marinette finally admitted. “It would be fair to say that I’m developing feelings for Chat Noir and that definitely is a roadblock between Luka and me.”

Marinette’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Adrien. “…How did you know?”

Internally, Adrien cursed. How was he supposed to explain that Marinette had told him about her feelings for Chat Noir herself?

“I mean, it was just a guess, but…I figured…because of Papa Garou.” Inadvertently, the truth slipped out.

Adrien thought that maybe this was okay. Better than getting caught in a lie. Besides, if she pressed, he could just say that he read about it on the Ladyblog or something.

Marinette’s already furrowed brow wrinkled further as she stared at him intensely.

It suddenly felt very stuffy in the airy restaurant.

Adrien gulped. “What is it?”

“How…do you know about Papa Garou?” Her voice was brittle and slightly panicked, as if she were scared of the answer. “Not even Alya knows about Papa Garou.”

Mentally, Adrien cursed again, wondering if it would be better to just tell her he was Chat Noir and he was really sorry about everything but maybe did she want to give him a second chance because he was seriously regretting not saying yes when she’d confessed to him several months before, so, if she still liked him, maybe could they start dating?

“…Uh…” Adrien’s brain told him that revealing his identity was not a good idea and that if Marinette really did turn out to be Ladybug, she was going to be ticked at him for being so careless. Better to lie.

“I heard from Chat Noir.” It wasn’t completely untrue. “He felt horrible about turning you down because you’re so amazing.”

The trenches of suspicion in Marinette’s forehead smoothed slightly, but her eyebrows remained pinched together in confusion. “You…talked to Chat Noir?”

“Yeah.” Adrien nodded, sticking to his guns. “He was really bummed, and he felt like the _worst_ person.” Again, all true. “The guy tripped into my bedroom window on his way home from your place, he was so out of it.” One hundred percent true. “I invited him in and asked if he were okay because he looked awful. I was kind of afraid he was going to get akumatized, he looked so glum, but he told me about what happened, and talking it out seemed to help him.”

Adrien _wished_ he’d had someone to talk things out with besides Plagg, someone who could give him guidance and real answers to his problems.

“Oh,” Marinette breathed, dropping her eyes to her plate and beginning to poke at her crêpe with her knife and fork. “Thank you for doing that. The last thing I wanted was for him to feel bad.”

“He knows that,” he rushed to assure, reaching across the table to rest a hand on top of hers. “He knows, Marinette, and it was nothing you did that made him feel bad. It wasn’t your fault, so don’t worry about it. He just wished he could have told you yes.”

This lie was turning out to be more truthful than Adrien had anticipated.

“If not for Ladybug, he would have, Marinette.”

She stared at him, astounded. “He…said that?”

Adrien withdrew his hand, blushing as he nodded. “Yeah. Uh…sorry for springing this all on you.”

“No, no. It’s fine,” she assured. “I’m glad you told me. I just…I feel bad that he felt so bad because…”

She winced as she tried to find the words to express how her supposed “feelings” for Chat Noir at that time had all been a mistake.

“I didn’t actually have feelings for Chat Noir back then,” she confessed, finally getting it off her chest.

Adrien frowned in confusion, head tipping to the side slightly as he tried to make sense of her words. “You…didn’t? But you told him you were in love with him.”

She nodded, a pained expression on her face. “I know. I know I did, but it was a mistake.”

“A mistake,” he echoed, lost.

“I…I was confused. Like, two weeks before the Papa Garou incident, I was brokenhearted over the other guy, the guy I’m still hung up on. Chat Noir saw me on my balcony and stopped by, and he was feeling kind of down because of Ladybug, and…” Her face turned vermillion as she remembered the surprise her partner had lovingly prepared for her and the guilt she felt when she’d turned him down.

She took a deep breath. “He showed me the candlelight picnic he’d set up for Ladybug, and we talked, and I felt really connected to him. It was romantic, and I was feeling vulnerable, so…” She shook her head and gave Adrien a shamefaced look. “I guess I just transferred what I was feeling for my crush onto Chat Noir. When I told him I loved him, those feelings weren’t real…not like they’re starting to be now.”

Adrien opened his mouth to speak, to dig deeper into her developing feelings for Chat Noir, to inquire about this other guy, but, just then, the server came to check on them, and Adrien started to regret the fact that the restaurant was so slow, giving their waiter too much free time.

After they’d both confirmed that the food was as ordered and wonderful, they were left alone once more.

“So, how are things with Kagami?” Marinette sniped the topic of conversation before Adrien could get them back on track.

“Oh…” He shifted uncomfortably, feeling very much off balance as he really thought about the honest answer to that question.

He could always lie and say that things were fine, but…Marinette had been honest with him; shouldn’t he return the favour? Friends confided in each other, after all.

He sucked in a breath, picking up his tea just to hold for the warmth. “…Uh…not…good.”

Marinette’s eyes widened, and her head tipped to the side, concern etched into her features. “Oh, no. What’s wrong?” she asked before really thinking it through. “Not that you have to tell me,” she quickly backpedaled, waving her arms and almost taking out the water pitcher in the process.

He caught her arm with a weak smile. “It’s okay, Marinette. No worries. I feel comfortable telling you.”

He let go of her arm, returning his hand to his teacup with a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

He took a sip of his green tea with mint and bergamot, the odd combination hitting all the right soothing notes of the flavors.

“I’m kind of in the same boat as you, actually,” he admitted, finding it easy to continue now that he’d started. “There’s this other girl I’m really hung up on.”

Marinette blinked rapidly. “Wait. _Another_ girl? Then…Kagami wasn’t the girl who you told me about before who you liked? The girl who didn’t think your jokes were funny?”

Adrien shook his head. “No. I wasn’t talking about Kagami. I was talking about…about a girl from work. I’ve liked her for _months_ , but…she just doesn’t return my feelings.”

“She’s crazy,” Marinette snorted, accidentally voicing the thought.

Before she could freak out and try to take it back, though, Adrien laughed heartily, a wide grin spreading across his lips. Marinette couldn’t bring herself to regret a comment that made him shine like that.

“Thank you,” he chuckled, genuinely flattered. “I really appreciate that someone thinks so, but…seriously.” A little bit of the light went out of him. “She said no. She said it nicely, but she said it firmly. She has someone else she likes, and I’m only ever going to be her friend. I need to respect her wishes and move on.”

“That’s really mature of you,” Marinette breathed, reaching out to lightly touch his forearm.

“Thanks,” he sighed. “I mean, I figured that throwing a fit wasn’t going to get me anywhere, so…”

She laughed softly right along with him, giving his arm a pat before retracting her hand.

“So, I’m trying to move on,” Adrien continued his explanation glumly. “ _Trying_ is the key word. Like I said, things with Kagami? Not good.” He hung his head. “I just feel so stuck. My feelings for my coworker just aren’t going away, and it’s not fair to Kagami, me dating her when my heart isn’t in it.”

“At least you know that,” Marinette consoled gently. “You know that things aren’t right, and you care. You want to make it right, and that means that at least you’re a good person, even if you aren’t in the best situation.”

He looked up and searched her eyes desperately. “Really? You don’t think I’m the worst?”

She shook her head vehemently. “No, Adrien. Not at all.”

He blew out a breath, setting the tea down and carding a hand through his already tussled hair. “Well, at least that’s something because I feel horrible, Marinette. Whenever Kagami tries to kiss me, my gut instinct is to pull back. There are only so many times I can play that off as me not being ready. We’ve been quote-unquote ‘dating’ for a couple months now, and it hasn’t gotten any better.”

Marinette winced, feeling bad for having been secretly jealous of Kagami all this time. Suddenly, her friend’s position didn’t seem so enviable.

“I know, right?” Adrien sighed. “Majorly cringe-worthy. I don’t want to lead Kagami on, and I _do_ have feelings for her. Honestly, I do, but…it’s just…not like for the other girl.”

Marinette reached across the table and took his hand in hers, giving it a comforting squeeze. “I know,” she commiserated.

His heart flipped at the touch she’d initiated. He could feel his cheeks heating up.

He swallowed. “…And…I also have a pretty substantial crush on another friend too, so…” He blew out a sigh. “So I always feel like I’m cheating on Kagami, and she deserves so much better than this. I care about her a lot, but…” He shook his head, looking up at Marinette as if he were searching for answers and redemption. “I’m just waiting for the day to come when I get her akumatized for a third time. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Adrien, the first time was _my_ fault, and the second time was all Lila,” Marinette reminded firmly. “ _You_ did not get her akumatized.”

“Still.” He grinned wretchedly. “The third time is going to be all on me.”

Marinette’s face fell when she realized that she couldn’t refute his statement. She gave his hand a squeeze before withdrawing hers with a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m really afraid of leading Luka on and getting him hurt, possibly akumatized even though he _knows_ about my feelings for the other guy.”

Adrien sank his teeth into his bottom lip, only hesitating a moment before asking, “Say, who’s this guy you like? If you don’t mind me asking,” he quickly added. “Is it anyone I know? You don’t have to say.”

Marinette paused, staring at Adrien, eyes slowly tracing each line of his face as she took a moment to weigh her options.

Should she lie? It would be just one more on the pile of the dozens of lies she’d told over her tenure as Ladybug.

She was sick of all the lies, all the secrets keeping her cut off from everyone, and what would it really hurt to tell the truth?

What did she have to lose? Nothing. What was the worst that could happen? She’d make him uncomfortable…but so what? Let him be uncomfortable. It would be worth it to finally untie one of the weights pinning her down.

“You,” she breathed, already feeling lighter. “The guy I like is you, Adrien.”

Adrien nearly fell out of his chair.

Fireworks went off in his heart, and [the love theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHvnMi9_9mM) from Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture began to play.

She liked him. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, contender for most awesome girl he knew, liked him. And not just Adrien him, but Chat Noir as well.

Adrien had never felt so accepted, so wanted in his life. He wanted to throw his arms around her, kiss her, propose marriage. It didn’t matter anymore whether or not she was Ladybug. If Marinette picked him, Adrien would happily pick her.

But Marinette was still talking, and he felt like it was incredibly rude to cut someone off, even to propose marriage, so he resigned himself to waiting his turn.

“…your umbrella? Well, I’ve had a huge, embarrassing crush on you ever since. That’s why I spent several months unable to string four words together around you,” she sighed. “I’ve tried to tell you dozens of times. I even had my friends help me concoct ridiculous schemes to tell you how I feel. I was a little extreme, and I’m sorry, but I’m getting better,” she stressed. “I know you just want to be friends with me, and that’s fine. That’s perfectly fine, Adrien. Nothing between us has to change because your friendship is really important to me, and I want to make sure we stay friends. I realize maybe this is a little awkward for you, but I promise that I’m trying to move on, so…”

She ended her torrent of words with a shrug and a hopeful smile, leaving Adrien mentally reeling, trying to catch up.

“Wait…. But… What if I don’t _want_ you to get over me?” he replied with a bit of a whine to his voice.

She blinked at him. “Sorry. What? Why would you want me to keep having this huge, inconvenient crush on you?”

“The other friend I have a crush on is _you_ ,” he blurted out, belatedly realizing that this was not a very romantic confession.

He smacked himself in the forehead and groaned at his incompetence. “I’m sorry. Please let me try that again.”

He looked up at her with earnest eyes. “I like you, Marinette. I really like you a lot. You’re awesome and sweet and clever and kind. If I listed everything I admire about you, we’d be here all day, so…I’m kind of not a big fan of the you-getting-over-me idea.”

He gave her a sheepish smile and awaited her reply.

She silently stared at him for a good fifteen seconds before she could formulate a response. “You… _like_ me?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Very much. So…what do we want to do about this?”

He had his own ideas like lunchtime picnics and holding hands on the way to class and carrying her books for her and getting her access to all kinds of fashion events, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her.

Marinette’s first thought was that she wanted to kiss him.

Her second thought was that Kagami was going to find out about Adrien skipping fencing with _her_ to take Marinette on a “date”, and that was going to cause an akuma.

Kagami would be heartbroken. Stealing Adrien from her would be an out and out betrayal. Thanks to her tyrannical mother, Kagami still didn’t have a lot of friends. She pretty much just had Marinette and Adrien whom she was close to, so having her boyfriend and all the friends she had turn on her at the same time would be…

Then there was Luka. Marinette and Luka weren’t officially dating, so it wasn’t like she would be cheating on him, but he’d still be upset about her dropping him all of the sudden. He’d been so good to her. He’d been everything she needed whenever she needed it, and she couldn’t discard him like that. It would be ungrateful and cruel.

Marinette couldn’t do it.

She just wasn’t the type of person who was able to put her wants above other people. She could never disregard Luka and Kagami’s feelings in favour of her own happiness. How could she truly be happy at the expense of others?

“Maybe…we should just be friends?” she finally suggested.

The hopeful excitement quickly drained from Adrien’s face, and a whirlwind of hurt, disappointment, and confusion quickly blew across it before it settled into a practiced neutral expression. “If that’s what you really want, but…I mean…can two people who are mutually attracted to one another just be friends?” he wondered, knowing he personally wouldn’t be able to keep things platonic now that he knew they both had feelings for one another.

“We’re going to have to,” Marinette sighed, dreading the prospect. “Unless we want to hurt Kagami and Luka.”

Adrien’s face went ashen, his eyes widening in horror as he softly cursed. “I didn’t even think of them. I got so caught up in the fact that you liked me too that…” He shook his head, feeling awful. “Shoot.”

“It’s okay,” she assured with a comforting smile, reaching out to pat his hand again. “It’s okay, Adrien. We’ll just have to be mindful of how our actions affect the others in the future. Things are really complicated in _all_ of our love lives, so it’s probably for the best if we give ourselves some time and some space to figure everything out.”

She sounded so logical, so in control, so much like his Lady in that instant that it physically hurt. He could feel his chest constricting.

“For the time being, let’s just focus on being friends,” she suggested in a chipper, optimistic tone.

He nodded and agreed in a manner that sounded convincing even to his own ears, but his heart wasn’t in it.

The conversation for the rest of the meal wasn’t nearly as free and easy as it had been before. It was by no means awkward or lagging—they talked about her ongoing creative projects, [the piano piece](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pqvCIFJS2E) he was working on and the evil [sixty-fourth notes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixty-fourth_note) contained within, as well as the new pastries her dad was trying out on the family first as guinea pigs—but it didn’t feel as light as it had in the beginning to Adrien.

Maybe it was just his own dejected mood over being star-crossed in love yet again.

It was really hard for Adrien to keep his hands in his pockets as he escorted Marinette the block home. More than anything he wanted to reach out and take her hand.

Friends held hands…right?

He walked at a leisurely pace, but they arrived at the bakery’s side door much sooner than he liked. “Well. This is your stop.”

“Yep,” she giggled awkwardly, her laugh not quite ringing true.

“We should do this again sometime,” he was quick to suggest.

If he couldn’t have romantic dates, he could at least have coffee meetups. Even though he was disappointed that he didn’t have a new girlfriend, he’d still enjoyed spending time with Marinette as a friend. Just being around her put a spring in his step and a smile on his face. At least they could hang out like this again.

“Yeah. Definitely,” she easily agreed, sounding much more comfortable all of the sudden. “Listen, Adrien, thank you so much for today.”

Her hand found its way to his bicep, and his heart leapt at the friendly contact.

“Yeah. Sure. Absolutely. My pleasure,” he insisted.

“No. Really,” she stressed, chewing on her bottom lip, seeming to hesitate before deciding to add, “It means a lot to me. I’ve been feeling alienated from the rest of our classmates lately, and no one seems to notice that I’m not around anymore. _Thank you_ for noticing that something was wrong and checking on me.” Her voice cracked, and she started to tear up even as she smiled. “I-I didn’t realize how much I needed someone to check on me.”

“Hey,” he cooed softly, reaching out to give her upper arm a supportive squeeze. “Any time. Seriously. _Any_ time. I care about you, Marinette. I don’t want you to feel alone or like you’re not missed, so feel free to reach out when you’re down. I’ll do a better job of reaching out to check on you too, okay?”

“You’re sweet,” she chuckled, smiling harder as she swiped at tears. “Sorry.” She laughed self-deprecatingly as more tears replaced the ones she dispatched. “I didn’t mean to go to pieces on you.”

“No,” he assured, using his other hand to help her fight off the silent onslaught. “It’s more than okay, Marinette. You don’t have to bottle it up in front of me. Off-Brand Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t have to fake it when they’re together. That’s the whole point of the club. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay when you’re not with me.”

She looked deep into his eyes, searching.

He held her stare, telepathically sending her love and support and strength.

Slowly, she started to nod, and her mouth softened into an effortless smile. “Okay,” she agreed, and the tears slowed to a stop. “I’m feeling better now, though.”

“Good,” he breathed, sending a smile right back at her.

She sighed, letting some of the stress go. “I really appreciate you,” she whispered, leaning in to press a grateful kiss to his cheek.

It didn’t occur to Adrien that Marinette might not appreciate him hijacking the gesture and turning it into a kiss full on the lips.

His brain told him that he really liked this girl and that she really liked him and that magic was real because it allowed him to transform into a catboy and fight evil, so magic could probably figure out this true love, happily ever after stuff for them too.

He’d rather kiss now and sweat the details later.

His efforts were rewarded when Marinette melted into him, eagerly kissing him back.

She matched him kiss for kiss for kiss until he finally forced himself to pull back, panting, “Sorry. I’m sorry. But I really, really wanted to do that.”

“Adrien…” Marinette groaned as she realized what she’d been sucked into by her lack of self-control. She started to step back, but he tightened his grip on her arm just enough to make her think twice.

“No,” he insisted, trying to get the magnitude of this moment across to her. “Like, I _really_ wanted to do that, Marinette. Not just on a whim, but with ever fiber of my being. It’s not like with Kagami at all where it feels wrong. It feels _right_ with you,” he stressed, wishing he had better words with which to illustrate how electrified he felt. “Everything about you feels so right in a way it never has before with anyone.”

“Adrien,” she breathed, a token protest. She didn’t try to pull away. He had her fixed in place by the intensity of his gaze. She could tell that he felt it too, the raging fire that roared to life inside of her at his touch.

“Will you go out with me?” he pleaded.

She bit her lip. She _so_ wanted to say yes, but…

“I…I don’t know,” she confessed, shaking her head, trying to straighten out her fragmented thoughts and tie them together into words. “Kagami…I don’t want to hurt Kagami and Luka.”

“Marinette, I think we need to be honest with them that it’s not working,” he sighed, gently cupping her cheek. “At this point, I think we gave it our best shot and can safely say that it’s not _going_ to work. We need to let them down easy. They deserve honesty from us.”

Gradually, Marinette began to nod, his words striking a chord within her. Deep down, she knew he was right.

“Maybe you and I could date in secret for a few months and then officially start dating later so that it doesn’t hurt them,” he suggested, slowly coming up with a plan. “so that it’s not like we dumped them for each other because that’s _not_ what happened.”

She pursed her lips. “But…”

“We both know that that’s not what happened. We need to break up with them anyway, don’t we? Even if we weren’t interested in pursuing a relationship together,” he reasoned, and she couldn’t argue with him. “We don’t want to lead them on, and it would be wrong to let them keep thinking that maybe it will eventually work when we both know that it’s not going to. Breaking up was something that needed to happen anyway, so… Kagami and Luka are both really great people. I don’t want them thinking they’re getting dumped because we found something better because that’s _not_ true.”

Marinette blew out a slow breath, still nodding. “…Okay. You’re right. We do need to end things with them anyway. I’ve known that for a while now, and you’re right. We need to make sure that they know that this isn’t about them not being good enough or being dumped for someone else, so the secret dating thing probably is a good idea,” she admitted, seeing his points.

“So, you’ll go out with me?” He began to bounce on the balls of his feet like an excited puppy.

She laughed, smiling like a loon at how adorable he was. “Yes, but I want to take this slow.”

Adrien surged forward, ecstatically capturing her lips once more.

She pushed back, still laughing even as she playfully admonished him. “Adrien! _Slow_!”

“Sorry,” he chuckled breathlessly, high on the moment. “I’m just…I’m really happy. I mean, one of the bravest, smartest, kindest girls I know wants me. _Me_. Not just my money or my connections or my looks, but…me,” he breathed, shaking his head in astonishment. “Dorky, dramatic, awkward…me. I’m not really sure I know how to explain what that means to me, Marinette.”

“Oh, Adrien,” she cooed, reaching up to stroke his face from his hair to his cheek, giving him an affectionate scratch behind the ear. “Of course. Of course, I want you,” she stressed, making a mental note to show him just how wonderful he was on a regular basis. “You’re only one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, amazing boys I know.”

His breath caught in his throat, and tears began to bead in the corners of his eyes as he leaned in, pressing a gentle, grateful kiss to her lips.

“Thank you,” he whispered, voice full of vulnerability and emotion that was not lost on Marinette.

“Just telling the truth,” she assured with an adoring smile that made his heart do flips.

As he stared into her eyes, a familiar warmth hummed in his chest. It was bizarre how quickly Adrien could fall once he let himself. He was already getting that tingly sensation that he’d only ever felt when gazing into Ladybug’s eyes.

“…This is crazy,” he began before he could really reconcile how crazy his question was and stop himself from asking it, “but…are you Ladybug?”

Marinette jumped, face going red then white in the span of seconds.

He saw the terror, the panic, in her eyes before her planning mode kicked in and she laughed as if he’d told a joke. “That _is_ crazy. Why would you say that?”

He knew that game face. That was his Lady’s game face.

He stifled a victorious grin and came clean: “Because…Ladybug is the girl I’m so hung up on, and…you’re really similar. There’s a reason I called you my everyday Ladybug, Marinette. You two are so alike. In the past when I thought about who she could be, there were a couple times when I nearly had myself convinced that it could only be you.”

Her eyes went wide again, her mouth rounding into a tiny “o” of surprise-delight-dread.

“And I was really happy when I thought she could be you,” he emphasized, not wanting her to think he was only interested in Marinette because of Ladybug. “I _wanted_ her to be you so that I could just be in love with one girl instead of having to fight my feelings for you, Marinette. I’ve been fighting my feelings for you for a while now,” he confessed and then stopped talking, allowing her to process what he’d said and respond.

Her eyes darted around his face, and she made several strangled noises.

Adrien knew he should give her an out, admit that he knew how important it was for him not to know, take some of the pressure off of her. He knew he wasn’t being fair backing her into a corner, but…he was in a selfish mood. He _knew_ it was her, and if their relationship had to be a secret for now, he didn’t want any other secrets coming between them.

He stared into her eyes lovingly, brushing a rogue bang back behind her ear. He let his finger linger on the jet stud earring that she was never without.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” he breathed so softly it barely stirred her hair.

Marinette regained her composure, frowning at him halfheartedly as she hissed, “If you were, my cover would be blown, and I’d have my Miraculous taken away.”

He rolled his eyes, finally letting his triumphant smirk show. “Who would take your Miraculous now that _you’re_ the Guardian?” he snorted.

She glared indignantly. “I—”

She abruptly cut herself off, face taking on yet another expression of shock. “…What did you say?” She sounded almost afraid of the answer.

Adrien blinked, head cocking to the side as he frowned in confusion. “Who would take your Miraculous since you’re the Guardian?” he repeated tentatively.

She gasped and gawked at him for a moment before asking in a very tinny, shaky voice, “How do you know about the Guardian?”

Adrien blinked and then mentally kicked himself. He opted to accept defeat gracefully.

With a sheepish smile, he pulled back. “…The same way that you do…My Lady.” He dipped into a theatrical bow fit for Chat Noir.

A sudden sob burst free from Marinette, and she clapped both hands over her mouth as she cried.

Adrien whipped up to standing, momentarily terrified that he’d ruined everything and lost her forever. He was just in time for her to tackle him, pulling him into a desperate vice grip of a hug.

She kissed him urgently, frantically, like she hadn’t seen him in years and would never see him again.

“It’s you,” she gasped and then kissed him again. “It’s you.”

“It’s me,” he agreed, nearly delirious and drunk on her lips.

She caught his face between her hands and searched, her eyes wild with joy and fear.

“It’s you,” she repeated, awe coating each syllable.

“Hi,” he hummed contentedly, gently stroking her face.

“Hi,” she breathed, a gigantic smile quickly spreading across her face.

They stood there for nearly a whole minute, grinning like idiots, drinking each other in.

“Oh my gosh,” Marinette giggled. “Adrien Agreste is my dorky catboy partner, and I love him.”

“And he loves you,” he assured, lazily twisting her bang around his finger, a besotted grin permanently tattooed to his lips.

“I need to go freak out,” she choked on a near manic laugh. “There’s no way that this is happening. I need to go to my room and scream into a pillow and throw things and talk to Tikki because this cannot be real, and I need to go freak out,” she giggled, only three percent joking.

“And I need to get home before someone realizes that I skipped fencing,” Adrien groaned, loath to leave her. “But this is definitely real, and this is absolutely happening. I promise you that.”

“Really?” She looked at him with hope in her eyes.

He nodded. “Really, really, Princess. Can I come back tonight? Are you going to be okay until then?” He searched her face, trying to get a read on her emotions. He didn’t want to leave her if she wasn’t going to be okay, even if she did have Tikki with her.

Adrien knew from personal experience that having a kwami to comfort you wasn’t the same as having a person to hold you and pet your hair.

But Marinette smiled and nodded, looking oddly calm. She leaned in, giving his lips the lightest of pecks.

“I just got everything I’ve ever wanted,” she whispered conspiratorially. “I’m going to be fine.”

“Same,” he chuckled, pulling her in for one last squeeze before parting.

The

End

**Author's Note:**

> Let it be noted that Marinette explains the Lila bullying situation, and Adrien shuts that nonsense down. (Please see [You and Me: Against the World](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24461599) for further details.)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the piece. Was there anything in particular that you liked about it? Any lines or dialogue that you found amusing or interesting? Anything you would add or change? What was your favourite scene? Was there anything that you felt like I meant to be funny but it totally fell flat? Who was your favourite character? I personally like Adrien best. He's my baby...even if he gets so excited that Marinette likes him back that he totally forgets that his actions have implications for others. -.-; He's still learning social skills and how to do the relationships thing. He's not a bad person. Just easily distracted and not always thinking about the bigger picture.
> 
> Anyway. Thank you very much for reading! I'll be back next week (Saturday, 07/18/2020) with the start of a four-chapter series featuring every corner of the love square sharing kisses. Keep an eye out for Four-Fold Blessings. I hope to see you soon!
> 
> Come talk to me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Some Random Translation Notes:  
> Panis is one way of saying “bread” in Latin. Don't look at me. It's a real restaurant; I did not name it.  
> Chocolat Viennois = “Viennese Hot Chocolate” = delicious.  
> A crêpe au sucre has butter and sugar on the inside. These are also delicious.
> 
> References:  
> Romeo and Juliet Love Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHvnMi9_9mM  
> Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pqvCIFJS2E  
> Sixty-Fourth Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixty-fourth_note


End file.
